Opened Doors
by reilert79
Summary: Chris discovers the depth of her relationship with David and what their limits are.


Opened Doors

***Chris and David's apartment***

It is Friday morning. Chris has to go back to work on Monday. She is sitting in their apartment, on the couch watching a movie. She and David are supposed to go shopping for bath stuff today, but he took a work phone call.

He comes out of the office, and joins her on the couch.

"Babe, that was my boss. I have to go to Boston for a trial."

"When?"

"Today. Next flight out if possible."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Could be a few days, could be a few weeks. Best part is that I can be home in an hour's flight if needed".

She throws the blanket off her and gets up, and goes to help him pack. This will be the first time since they have been married that they have spent the night apart.

He got out the suitcases while she got out the hanging bags and grabbed his tie rack. Thankfully, she had just picked up his dry cleaning the day before, and those were now ready to go in the hanging bag.

They packed him in silence, her handing him what he asked for. She let him put the clothes in the suitcase while she went and did his toiletries and his shaving kit.

Pretty soon he was packed, and he went to go book his flight to Boston, and pack his briefcase.

She grabbed her keys and her purse and put them by the door, so she could drive him to the airport. She was dreading him going away and being gone, and she was really hoping that it wouldn't be too terribly long.

He came out of the office, with his briefcase and his printed ticket and boarding pass.

"Babe, here's a list of stuff you might need. The alarm company's number, the contractor's number, you have Stephanie's number, the contractor is going to start with tearing out the cabinet. Then he is going to take the shower door off- he is planning on installing the new tub, and leaving the old one in until the new one is ready so that you can still take a bath if you want to, ok? So you might have to step into the new tub and then over the end of it to take a shower for a day or so. Then after he gets the old tub out, he will take the shower up, and put in the walk through shower, and then he will cut the hole and put the door in last. If he has any questions, tell him to call me".

"Ok. Anything else?"

He looked at her with a somewhat melancholy look. "Drive me to the airport?"

She nodded. "How much time do we have?"

"I have to be there in about an hour".

"Ok, let's go."

They walked to the elevator, and then he loaded the bags into the car, and she got in the passenger seat. She figured he would drive, and then they would switch when they got there.

They had a mostly quiet drive on the way there.

"Want me to fly up next weekend, if you are still there?"

"I would love that, but it would be boring for you. If I am still there, that means the trial is going to be continuing on Monday, and that means I will be preparing for it all weekend. That's not fair to you, babe".

"Well I hope your trial doesn't last that long, and you can come back home to me before the weekend".

"Me too, babe".

He pulled up to the airport, and pulled into short term parking. He put the car in park after he found a spot, and looked at Chris. "We still have 45 minutes".

She leaned over and kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her. They had a mini-make out session for about 25 minutes, and then he looked at her. "It's time babe".

She nodded.

She unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out. She grabbed a cart from the corral next to the car, and hung his hanging bag on it while he put his suitcase and carry-on bag on the cart.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a long hug, and she gave him a long kiss.

"I love you so much Chris. I will call you tonight and I will be home as soon as I can get home".

"I love you too. I will be here".

She kissed him again, and he headed towards the airport and she got into the car. She drove home, somewhat melancholy, but not crying. She was stronger than that.

She decided to put in some retail therapy, on the way home to feel better.

Chris parked and went inside the bookstore. She decided to get a few new novels to read while David was gone.

She found a mystery novel that sounded really good, and then she decided she wanted to try something out of her comfort zone. She walked around and found a section that she normally didn't read- the self-help section. She looked at a few titles, and nothing was really standing out to her. Then she saw a title on the bottom shelf. It was a couple's guide to great sex. She thumbed through it, and realized that everything they suggested the guy do, David was already doing. So she was going to have to step up her game, according to this book. She snapped the book up, and continued walking through the store.

She found herself in the romance section, and most of the titles made her roll her eyes. She was almost out of the section, when she decided to give something a try. She picked up all three books in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series. Then she headed up front to the checkout.

Right by the checkout, there was a desk, and Chris started looking at what was there. She made an impulsive decision to buy an e-reader. She looked them over, and chose the Nook Glow Light Plus. She also chose a blue and green plaid case for it, and bought all of the electronic charging accessories that she needed. She started to head for the checkout, and one more item caught her eye. It was a tub table. Tub tables go across the tub, and you can read, watch a movie on your iPad, have a place for your drink, etc., while you take a bath. She liked the fact that it also had a waterproof plastic cover for an e-reader. She grabbed it, and headed to the checkout before she changed her mind, or bought anything else.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris came in and put her purchases on the bed. The contractor was in the bathroom working. He had taken out the cabinet, and had put the new bathtub in its place. His assistant had taken the shower door off, and was helping him to connect the plumbing.

"After we have this done, we will be caulking the tub. That will take about an hour or so, and then we will be out of your hair. We will come back Monday, and take out the new tub that day and start work on the shower. We will also put up your TV over here that day. Do you want a shelf under it or just mounted on the wall?"

"Mounted is fine. Can you put us in some plugs over here?"

She pointed to where she was talking about.

"Absolutely. I will add it to the plans".

"Ok thank you!"

She left them to their work, and took her books out to the den. She decided to start with the mystery novel for appearances sake.

About 2 hours later, they were done, and told her they would be back Monday.

She looked at the clock, it was almost 5.

She decided to take herself to dinner, before the rush. She plugged her Nook up to charge, and then grabbed her purse and keys.

She was out the door in 5 minutes.

***Later***

Chris took herself to a hibachi restaurant that she loved, Fakura. She and David had been here a couple of times, and he wasn't a fan. His favorite was Hatashi. Chris decided to have one meal made for then, and one meal made to go, for the next day.

"May I take your order, miss?"

"Water to drink. Seafood delight, fried rice. And I also need the steak and lobster to go, with fried rice for that as well".

"Thank you".

She scrolled on her phone, looking at the news and other sites that she liked while she waited. Pretty soon, the food started arriving.

She was done eating around 6:45, and headed back home.

She couldn't wait to get in her pajamas and take a bath.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris came in, and locked the door behind her. She went to the bedroom, to where the Nook was charging. It was only at 50%.

She ran the bath, and went and got the tray she had purchased. She grabbed the self-help book first.

After lighting some candles that reminded her of their vacation, she climbed into the bath and turned the jets on. She put the tray over the tub, and started reading her book.

She soaked there for an hour, reading the book. It was very informative. Some of the suggestions were actually doable. The book suggested that women do Kegel exercises all throughout the day, whenever they could, in sets of ten. It also recommended squats, drinking lots of water and eating clean, and using herbal remedies instead of pharmaceuticals. Another section of the book suggested that women stretch their legs and hamstrings each day. Chris could do that. She stretched a lot in her workouts, and she could do more stretches at night before bed. She started doing her Kegels in the tub then, and was surprised at how easy they were. She flipped ahead to the nutrition section, and started reading about what they suggested the diet should be. She made a mental note to pick up some of the vitamins they suggested, and to start making quinoa more often, as they said it was healthier.

She got out of the bath then, and dried off. She went and raided their medicine closet to see if she had any of the vitamins. She had none.

She made herself a to-do list that centered around going to the natural foods store and going to the drugstore to get the vitamins.

She took her robe off and put her pajamas on, and climbed into bed with the book.

There was a questionnaire that she was supposed to answer.

The questions were:

1: On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your current sex life? 8

2: Is there anything specific that your partner doesn't do that you wish they would? No

3: Is there anything that you feel they wish you would do?

This was a hard one. There really wasn't anything that Chris could think of specifically, but she felt like she was more satisfied by him than he was by her, and she wanted it to be equal.

4: Do you and your partner communicate well? Yes.

5: Are there any obstacles that get in the way of your sex life? (work, kids, etc.) No

6\. On a scale of 1-10, how healthy is your diet? 8

7\. On a scale of 1-10, how healthy is your lifestyle? 10= work out each day, 1= workout never. 9. Chris sometimes took a day off from working out.

8\. How many times a week do you and your partner have sex? 1-10, 10 meaning every day. 9

9\. Where do you see your relationship in 5 years? Still married, as strong as ever.

10\. How committed are you to fixing this part of your relationship? 1-10 scale, 10 being the highest. 15

Chris laid there, reading the next few pages. It basically said that she needed to start adding in the nutrients she was missing right away, and doing her Kegels and stretches. According to the book, she could expect to see a difference in about a week or two. She climbed onto the floor, and started stretching. She stretched for about 20 minutes, and did a quick 200 squats just for fun. 200 was nothing for Chris; her workouts often had her doing way more than that.

She was climbing back into bed when David called.

"Hi honey!" She answered the phone on the first ring. She quick put him on speaker.

"Hey babe. Sorry it's so late, I went straight to the office when I got here. Just now getting to the hotel".

"That's ok. I went to the bookstore, and got some books, and then I went to dinner at Fakura. I just got out of the bath a little bit ago".

"Sounds great babe. It's so lonely here without you".

"Lonely here too".

She told him what the contractor had told her and how he said he was going to put in some extra outlets for them.

"That sounds great."

"Babe, can we hang up and face time? I want to see you when we chat".

"Sure". Chris hung up, and facetimed David.

He answered right away.

"That's better. I miss you so much".

"Me too. I got a book at the bookstore tonight that will help strengthen our relationship". She watched as he stretched out on the bed.

"What kind of book?"

"How to have better sex".

"Sounds interesting. Are you unhappy with our sex life, babe?"

"Not really. I mean you more than satisfy me, but sometimes I feel like I need to do more to satisfy you. I want you to be more than happy with me, honey".

"I am babe, I swear it. We have a great sex life. There is absolutely nothing I would change about it, except to say that if we win the lottery, we are quitting our jobs and doing it all day long".

She laughed. "I agree with that wholeheartedly".

She looked at him again. "There isn't anything you wish we did, like whips, handcuffs, eating stuff off each other, me in costumes, stuff like that?"

"I just need you babe, the real you. I would never hurt you, or make you pretend to be something for me to be happy, you make me happy. I am always hot for you, and I always want you".

"That's so sweet. I am always hot for you too, honey. I just want to make you happy. I want us to always have maca root sex, without the maca root". They both laughed.

"What changes does the book suggest that we make?"

"Clean eating, less processed foods, not a lot of sugar, more vitamins, stretching, communication of what you want your partner to do, different positions, and Kegels. Stuff like that".

"Well we already do most of that".

"Yes I know. I started doing Kegels, and stretches, and I am getting the vitamins tomorrow. I am also going to get quinoa and sub it in place of pasta when I can".

"And that's supposed to make our sex life better?"

"That's what they say".

"How long will this take?"

"About a week, according to the book, although we could try out the positions if you were here now".

"Well, I honestly don't see myself coming home before Friday". He gave her a sad face.

"Crap. That's a long time for me to go without…you".

"It's a long time for both of us, babe. I called Stephanie and she said she wants to bring Miranda to the city for dinner Wednesday night, and she will call you".

"That sounds fun".

"Well babe, I love you more than anyone or anything in the world. You are my everything. I have to go to bed now, so that I can get up in the morning. Office meeting at 9".

"Ok, honey. Love you more than anyone or anything. This bed feels so wrong without you".

"Same here. Love you!" She blew him a kiss and then they hung up.

Chris put her phone on the charger, played with her Nook for a little bit, and then went to sleep.

***The next morning***

Chris woke up, did her workout, and made breakfast. She quick took a shower, got dressed and went to the drugstore. She found the vitamins that the book recommended and got a couple bottles. Then she paid, and headed for the natural foods store, and got some quinoa, and some fresh veggies.

She headed back home, and curled up on the couch with the first Fifty Shades of Gray book. It was an easy read, she read it in about 2 hours. She varied on her opinion of the characters, as to whether they were freaks or just regular people with a healthy sex life.

She got up and heated up her leftovers from the night before. She took the vitamins with her lunch, and she made a glass of the black dandelion tea that the book suggested. It was beyond nasty, and Chris had to hold her nose to drink it.

"This is for you babe, this is for us". Chris held her nose again and finished the glass. She shuddered and quick drank a plain glass of water.

She texted Bridgit to see if she and Lisa wanted to come over. They said yes, so she got up and straightened up the living room, and went and put on her ripped jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. She sat down to wait for them, and started reading the second book in the series.

About an hour later, Bridgit and Lisa knocked on the door, and Chris put the book down on the coffee table.

She opened the door and gave them hugs, and invited them in.

"Come in, come in. David is out of town, so it's just us".

"Hot stuff you are reading here, Aunt Chris!" Bridgit picks up the book and shows it to Lisa.

"Just started it. I like it so far. Just wanted to see what the fuss was about".

"What do you want to do Aunt Chris? What do you and Bridgie normally do on nights like this?"

Chris put her arm around Lisa, and looked at her.  
"This is a secret, but the truth is, we do whatever we want!". They all started laughing.

Bridgit looked at Lisa. "Should we introduce Aunt Chris to our favorite movie?"

Lisa nodded.

Bridgit looked at Aunt Chris.

"What if we order in, and we watch Magic Mike? It's the hottest movie ever!".

She grabbed the remote and found it on On Demand.

"It's only 3.99".

"Ok. Let's get our food, and then we can order it".

Chris went to the menu drawer and got the menus out and told them to pick what they wanted to order.

"There is this new service called Chef Express, and you can order through them, and they will go to any restaurant, even ones that don't deliver, and order your food and then bring it to you".

"That sounds great!" Chris went and got her laptop, and pulled up the Chef Express menu.

They agreed on Greek food. They ordered lemon chicken soup, Greek salad, cucumber dip with pita chips, and basmati rice.

Chris made them California tea. It was a family recipe Ann had told her about. You make lemonade, and then you make tea with a couple mint sprigs, and then you combine them and mix the lemonade and the tea, and sweeten it with honey. The girls love it and it only takes a few minutes.

"How is Miranda Aunt Chris?"

"She is good, as far as I know. Stephanie is bringing her to the city for dinner on Wednesday, and we are meeting somewhere. From what I hear, she is healing well from her appendectomy, and is getting used to her cast".

"Poor kid. Appendectomies are rough. I remember when I had mine out and all the pain I was in, and Daddy would try and make me laugh to keep me from crying and that would hurt too, so it wouldn't ever end".

"That sounds awful!" Chris couldn't imagine it.

"California tea is ready". She set the glasses out on the counter.

"You made California tea? I have been craving this! Thanks Aunt Chris!"

"You're welcome sweetie." Chris poured herself a glass and tasted it. It was a little sweet for her taste, but good nonetheless.

Bridgit went to Miranda's room and dragged her bean bag out into the living room, for when they watched the movie.

"So girls I haven't seen this movie. What is it about?"

"Well, Channing Tatum used to be a stripper before he was a movie star. This movie is based on his life".

"He was a stripper?"

They nodded.

"Who else is in this movie?"

Lisa looked at Aunt Chris. "My future husband, the beautiful and ever so fit Mr. Matthew McCounaghey".

Their food was delivered then, and Chris paid for it and tipped the guy.

She got out plates, and bowls and silverware and napkins.

They ate their Greek food, and then Bridgit set the movie up.

Chris was hesitant at first, but she really got into the movie and she really enjoyed it.

She and Bridgit and Lisa were laughing and giggling the whole time. They rewound Matthew McCounaghey's scenes where he coached the kid in the mirror, and where he danced at the end.

After it was over, they looked at Chris to get her reaction.

"That was great! What else you got?"

"Well, let's see". Bridgit scrolled through On Demand, but didn't really find anything. Instead she turned on Showtime On Demand, and they started watching Billions. Chris fell in love with that show too.

They could only watch 2 episodes, so when those were over, they turned the TV off and chatted.

Chris told them all about their trip to the Turks and Caicos, and how they enjoyed the hot tub so much they are getting one for the balcony.

"That's so cool! You have the best view in the city, Aunt Chris! How did you snag this place?"

"Well, when you were little, I was married to a man, Jimmy. He was a politician. So when we got married, I sold the loft you live in now, and moved in with him. He had this really nice townhouse, and it was gorgeous. He had paid big bucks to have it decorated, so when we got divorced, he moved to Washington D.C. He gave me the townhouse in the divorce, but I wanted to live uptown and not out west. So, I sold it, and the market was good, so I got a nice paycheck on it. Then I told my realtor what I wanted, and she would take me to places and they would be ok, but they just didn't feel right. Well I passed this building one day, and just had to come inside and see if there was an apartment available. As luck would have it, they had 2. I looked at both of them, and then I picked this one. It was from the kitchen (she pointed) through this end. And I lived here 5 years and it was perfect. Never had an issue. Then David and I got back together rather unexpectedly, and when we got married, shortly after that, he found about Miranda, so we needed a space for her. Plus, with you girls in town, I wanted you to have a place to stay if you needed to, so we needed another bedroom for that. So we bought the place next door, and remodeled it kind of, but more like meshed it with this one".

"Tell her the story of how David came back to you".

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, how did that happen?"

"Well, we had broken up a long time ago. Long story short, he represented a man in court as a favor for his old law school professor. But the man he represented had tried to kill me, so I couldn't forgive him for that. Well then, your grandpa Charlie died, and I kind of went off the deep end, and he helped me put the pieces back together. So then we were friends, and as I got sober, he and I started dating again. But then he wanted to get married and I didn't and he walked away. So we were broken up for several years. He even moved out to California to work for a law firm, and represented your dad's firm in a case, believe it or not. He knew who your dad was, but your dad didn't know who he was, and he didn't let on. Then, he moves here, and I am divorced. I have no idea that he is back in town, or that he ever left, really. But anyways, he comes back in town, and has been here about 5 months. He has the news on one day and there is a press conference about a big case the NYPD had solved. Sometimes I have to be involved in those for my work, and this was one of them. He sees me, realizes I don't have a wedding ring on, and decided to get me back. But he wanted it to be memorable. So he sent me all these exotic bouquets of flowers, but the cards were unsigned. Then he sent me a box of imported Chocolate, very sweet gesture but I had just sworn off sugar. Then he sent a bouquet here that said if you want to know who this is, text this number with the word yes. So I did. And he replied back that I was to go to the Empire State building, and ask the lady at the gift shop for my special surprise. She gave me a bag with a camera in it. I was also to give my name to the security guard and he let me skip the line. So I dressed up really pretty, and I did those things and I went up to the roof. I waited about 15 or 20 minutes and I was going to go home, and then, he appeared and explained that he was the secret admirer, and we have been together ever since".

"That is so romantic! You have the best life, Aunt Chris!"

"See, that's why I wanted to come out here! She is the greatest!".

Chris smiled.

"How is Jason?" Chris hadn't heard Bridgit talk about Jason in a long time.

"We are fizzling out. He says he wants me forever, but I am sick of spending all our time in his place, and never doing anything fun. We have lost our spark".

"Well, if I can find the one I am supposed to be with, you can too!"

Lisa told her all about her classes at the Fashion Institute.

"I have this project I have to do, and I don't know how to do it. I have to find models for a fashion shoot, and then I have to come up with a theme for my fashion shoot, and have them model clothes. I am totally stumped on it".

"Hello! Sis! I can be in your fashion shoot. So can Aunt Chris! So can Miranda!"

"And Mary Beth, and Alice!"

"Yeah! We can do it like a family thing! Great idea! Now what would our theme need to be?"

"Evening wear. We could all wear sparkly gowns".

"I like that. I could work with that. What do you think Aunt Chris?"

"I like it. We could also do casual wear, like vacation clothes".

"Ooh that's good too".

She and Bridgit and Lisa wrote out plans for the fashion shoot then. They finally settled on Evening Wear.

"David could be your male model, and he has a tux he could model, and several different suits".

"Great!"

They decided that Chris was going to model the grown up sexy evening gown, and she picked the bright blue one she had worn to David's ball. She texted Mary Beth and asked her if she and Alice wanted to help out, and they agreed. Alice was going to wear the pretty dress she wore in Chris' wedding, and Mary Beth had a long sleeved, sweetheart boxy neckline dress that was beaded and bright green. She was going for the classy evening wear angle.

Bridgit agreed to wear the mini-dress and represent the young adult crowd. And she texted Miranda, who agreed to model for the pre-teen crowd. Bridgit also agreed to model some prom dresses to represent the teenage crowd. Lisa's project wasn't due till the end of the month, so they agreed to wait till David got back to shoot it.

"We can use the banquet room downstairs, they have a runway and everything".

"Awesome! I will borrow some screens from school for a back drop".

They chatted some more about stuff that was happening in their lives, and then Bridgit looked at Lisa. "We got to go, sis. Aunt Chris needs to get to bed so she can dream about Matthew McCounaghey's butt".

"mmm". Chris liked that butt shot she had seen.

She packed them some leftovers, and insisted on driving them home.  
"You will not take the subway at night, girls. I won't hear it'.

They piled into the car and she drove them to their building.

"Thanks for hanging out, girls. Love you!"

They all gave hugs. "Love you Aunt Chris!". "Love you Aunt Chris, thanks for dinner".

She waited till they were inside the building and then drove back home, reflecting on what a fun evening it had been, and Matthew McCounaghey's butt.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris got home, and locked the door. She set the alarm. She took another round of the vitamins, and then grabbed her Fifty Shades Darker book, and went into the bedroom. She plugged her phone up, took a hot shower, and then put on fresh pajamas. She went and got a fresh glass of water, and climbed into bed and started reading her book. David called then, and they facetimed.

"Hi honey! You are a sight for sore eyes!"

"Hi babe! I miss you so much. Did you have a good day?"

"Yes, I went and got the new groceries, and went and got the new vitamins. I have been taking them. I also had Bridgit and Lisa over for dinner. We ordered in Greek food and they introduced me to a dirty movie. It was great!"

"What movie?"

"Magic Mike. You wouldn't like it".

"What's it about?"

"Male strippers. Channing Tatum was apparently a male stripper before he got his break in the movies".

"Wow. What else did you guys do?"

"We agreed to help Lisa with a project for school. Can you help too? All you have to do is model your tux, and maybe a suit or two, and pose for pictures with me".

"That's fine. When is it?"

She had a smirk on her face. "When you come back".

"How convenient".

"How was your day, honey?"

"Long. I have been going through case files and tying evidence together, and planning my strategy. Opening statements are Monday morning, followed by evidence introduction".

"What kind of case is it?"

"Embezzlement. My client is being set up by his boss, who also happens to be his father-in-law, for stealing over 5 million dollars from the company over 10 years. However, he never touched the money. His name is on the checking accounts because he is the business' accountant, so he had the power to write the checks. It's our belief that the father in law wrote the checks for items and forged his signature, to cover up that he was stealing from his own business. I found some evidence today that proves the father in law was present at the time a yacht was purchased, and not the son in law, so I am looking for more evidence of that for the other purchases".

"Wish I could be there in court to see you, babe".

"Wish you were in the hotel with me now, babe".

"wish you were in the bed with me, babe".

"Are you nervous about going back to work Monday?"

She nodded. "A little".

"You will be fine, honey. I just know it".

"I hope so".

She leaned over to take a sip of water, and he saw the book on the nightstand, when she moved the phone.

"What are you reading?"

"Oh it's this book series I picked up yesterday. It's the Fifty Shades of Grey series. There's this guy and he was abused somehow in his childhood, so he treats everything and everyone as strictly business. He meets this woman, and is so struck by her beauty that he draws up a contract for them to be together. But it isn't like normal. He wants to use her for a sexual plaything. He has a bondage room in his house, and he ties her up and straps her to a wheel and puts gags on her and whips her and makes her crave the pain before they make love. But he also tries to control everything else about her, like he sells her car without her permission and he arranges for her to get an awesome promotion, and she can't handle it, so she leaves him. That's book one. This is book 2, and he's trying to get her back. She misses him and she misses the sex, but she isn't ready to give in to his controlling ways just yet".

"No whips or handcuffs or gags for us, babe. I just need you, not all that other stuff".

"I agree". She looks at the phone. "Not even a little bit?"

"Well, no, but if I don't get home to you soon, I tell you I probably wouldn't care, if that's what it took to be with you again".

"Aww. I love you too".

They chatted a little bit more, and he gave her a tour of his hotel room, which was pretty spacious.

"What are you doing tomorrow, honey?"

"Interviewing witnesses, preparing my statement, and going through evidence, and missing you. What about you?"

"Well, I am going to take my vitamins, and eat my healthy food, and read my books and miss you terribly".

"Well we are going to miss each other together. I hate to be away from you, babe".

"Me too. Everyone says alone time is good for you, but I feel the opposite. You and I worked too hard to be together, so being alone just seems wrong somehow".

"I agree. If I am here past Friday, no matter how busy I am, I changed my mind. I want you to come up".

"Ok honey."

"I will call you tomorrow, babe. I love you more than anything".

"Love you more than anything too honey, I will be here when you call".

They hung up, and Chris felt sad when she did. She truly loved David, and wanted to spend every minute with him, no matter what. She knew this wasn't a big deal, but they had already spent so much time apart, and now that they were back together, she just wanted to never spend a moment away from him ever again.

She put the phone on the charger, and then picked up her book, and started to read Fifty Shades Darker.

***Later***

Chris was almost ½ way through Fifty Shades Darker. She was caught in a place- somewhere between "I wish someone would do that to me" and "there are some sick people in this world". She was starting to see what her and David's sex life was really like- it was very vanilla compared to the Grey's. After Chris read some of the stuff that he was doing to her in the book, she liked vanilla.

She finally put the book down and turned off the light. She lay there, thinking about her sex life with David. Was there anything she would change for him? She could wear lingerie more, or get more dolled up when they went out, not wear her comfy clothes as much. Was there anything she would change from him? Not a thing. He was perfect. Was there anything she wanted to do with him that they didn't normally do? She was thinking about trying some new positions, but that was about it. She definitely didn't want to open any doors to "kinky" stuff, like handcuffs, or being tied up, or anything that involved physical pain. She was pretty certain David felt the same way.

She decided to send him a love text in the morning, when she woke up. She rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but it was hard. The bed felt so empty without him.

***Sunday Morning***

Chris woke up, and went to the kitchen. Sunday's were her rest days from working out, so she was excited to not have to push play that day. She went to the fridge and got out the items to make herself an omelet. She decided on sausage, with mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, and onions. She quick made an omelet, and made herself a glass of the black dandelion tea, and forced herself to chug that. Then she poured herself some pineapple juice and sat down to eat her omelet.

Her paper had come, so after she finished her omelet, she grabbed the paper from the hallway, and curled up on the couch to read it. It was raining pretty good, and she was more than content to just lay on the couch for a bit and read. She turned the TV on, and found her favorite, the Crime channel. She read the paper, and had a very lazy Sunday morning. The only thing she was missing was her husband.

***That afternoon***

Chris had dozed on the couch, and when she woke up, it was after 3. She got up, and went to make herself a veggie wrap. She had the wrap and some leftover soup for lunch, and got back on the couch under a blanket. She checked her phone, and David had sent her a couple of texts telling her that he loved her and was missing her. She sent one back and said she loved him, missed him, and couldn't wait till they talked that night.

She went and picked out her clothes to wear to work the next day, and put her briefcase by the door. She was a little nervous to go back to work, but she was really missing her job too. She was ready to feel normal again, and put the kidnapping incident behind her.

She spent a leisurely afternoon, reading her book, and laying on the couch. She finished the second book in the series in about an hour, and then she immediately started on the third book. She didn't move, she stayed right there on the couch, under the blanket, reading. She was absolutely captivated by their love story, and she felt that out of all 3 books, this book was the most romantic. The third book was the one where they truly became a couple, and truly began their life together and journey as a married couple. It was beautiful, romantic, sweet, and sexy, all rolled into one.

It was around 8 when she finished the third book, and afterwards, she sat there for a minute, reflecting on where and how the books ended. It had been a long time since Chris had read a book that had touched her this way.

She made herself some dinner, and took some more of her vitamins. She made her meal plan for the week, and prepped what she had in the fridge. She decided to make a list of what she needed for the rest of the week, and was going to go grocery shopping on Monday, after work.

She had just finished the meal plan and list making, when her phone went off. It was a text from Bridgit.

"Hey, Lisa and I want to see you tomorrow night- we want to introduce you to our favorite show, The Bachelor! Any chance we can come over and watch it with you? You have the best TV! We will bring dinner, if you say it's ok".

"Of course it's ok. I will be home by 6".

"Sounds great! Woohoo, we are so excited!"

Chris went and took a hot bath, and then put her pajamas on. She was ready for bed before the news came on, and was fighting to stay awake till David called her.

***About an hour later***

Chris was laying in the bed, watching TV. She had locked the door, turned on the alarm, and grabbed her glass of water. Her phone was on the charger, and she was watching the tail end of a movie, that was airing before the news. She was really and truly only watching the news to see the weather for the week.

David called just then, and they chatted for a good bit. She loved hearing his voice.

"I finished those books, babe. They were so good".

"Really? You enjoyed those?" He seemed shocked.

"Yes, they were really good. Book one was all about his domination of her and their kinky sex life. Book 2 was more about him trying to get her back after she leaves him, and her trying to find her way in life and figure out what she wants. Book 3 is about their love story, and their romantic life together".

"I wish I was there with you, babe. Are you ready for work tomorrow?"

"Yes, I think so. I am a little nervous, but I will be fine".

"Text me and tell me how you are doing, ok babe? If I was there, I would drive you there myself".

"I know. Are you ready for court?"

"I think so. I met with the other associates today and told them what I needed them to do. They are going to find the other witnesses, and find the other evidence while I am in court this week, and we will present it as we get it. Not ideal, but it's what we got to work with".

"It's good that you have a plan, honey".

She told him about how Lisa and Bridgit were coming over and bringing dinner. "They want to watch some show called The Bachelor. We will see if it's worth watching".

She told him all about the vitamins she had taken, and the Black Dandelion tea, and that she was going to try the quinoa later this week.

"Babe, do you really need to do all this? I am very happy with us, and that means every single part of us, and every single part of our relationship. I love you for who you are, and wouldn't change a thing".

"I just want you to be as satisfied with me as I am with you. I guess I went into this to see if we could improve, and these are the small changes that it says we should make to improve… I just want you to be happy".

"Babe, you could put a paper bag on your head and I would still want you… I want you in any form, all of you, every part of you, no matter what. I have never been unhappy with you, ever. In any capacity. Please believe me on this".

"I do, David. I really do. But do you ever get to the point to where you want to try new things and kick it up a notch? I mean, our sex life has always been great, but I am in the best shape I have ever been in my life. So I am physically able to do these new things now…"

"Well, all I know is when I get back home, I will take you no matter what shape you are in, because you are what I am attracted to, not the vitamins you are taking."

"I love you babe, I miss you so much!"

"Me too babe. When you get home, hopefully we can just spend an entire day together… just us".

"That sounds wonderful, babe".

They chatted for a bit longer, and then hung up. She drifted off to sleep, missing her husband more than ever.

***Monday morning***

Chris got up, got her workout in, and got ready for work like usual. She made breakfast, and after having a few bites, she grabbed her things and headed out the door.

She was just getting in the car when David called her.

"Morning, babe. Have a great day. Sorry I am not there to see you off".

"Hi honey. I am ok. I was just getting in the car. Hope your trial goes well today, honey".

"Me too. There are some rumblings that the father-in-law is going to make an appearance. We will see if it's true".

They chatted until Chris got to work.

"Honey, I am here. Gotta go in. Love you, and can't wait till we talk tonight…can't wait till you are back home".

"Have a fun night with Bridgit and Lisa, I love you, and I miss you".

"Bye honey".

They hung up and Chris walked inside.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

Chris walked in, waved hi to Feldberg and headed down the hall to her office.

"Great to see you back, Lieutenant Keeler".

"Thanks, Feldberg".

She headed down the hall to her office with Mary Beth.

"Hi partner!". Mary Beth was waiting for her in their office.

She ran over and hugged Chris.

"Hi Mary Beth."

"I have missed you! I got a lot done while you were gone, I organized all our files, and I made a new filing cabinet for our completed case files…. I updated all the computer files and made folders for the new cases and the old cases.".

"Good work Mary Beth".

"How was your vacation?"

"Good. David and I went to the Turks and Caicos, and had a wonderful time. Then we came home, and I have been cleaning and organizing and reading and laying on the couch. It was nice, but I am ready to be back at work."

"How is David?"

"Fine. He is in Boston all week. It's rough without him because we haven't been apart since we got married. And Miranda was in a car accident, and broke her wrist, and they get her to the hospital and find out she has appendicitis. So she got a cast, had emergency surgery, and then got released from the hospital. It was a whirlwind 48 hours, but we survived".

"Oh my goodness, Chris. We gotta get Alice and Miranda together".

"Yes we do. Stephanie is bringing Miranda to the city for dinner Wednesday night, and we haven't decided about this weekend. Next time she spends the weekend with us, Alice has a first-class invitation".

"Sounds great, Chris. She will love it".

"So what are we working on today, do we have a case?"

"Yeah. Came in overnight. Counterfeit purses- the owner, Dan DeMarko, sets up pop-up shops and sells counterfeit bags as real ones, charging high dollar for a fake. As soon as the NYPD gets wind of where the pop-up shop is, he shuts down and moves on. His pop-up shop has the purses in it, but it also has magazines, so that he can go undetected."

"Genius. And yet we always find them, anyways.".

"Latest lead says that he has a pop-up shop on 8th and 35th. News stand is registered to a Jack Anderson".

"Let's go check it out".

***Pop-up shop***

Chris and Mary Beth pull up and park in the lot closest to the news stand. They decided to observe things from the car for a minute. They watched a few women walk up to the news stand, and talk to DeMarco. Then, he reaches down under the counter and pulls out some purses for them to look at. They look at them for a minute, and then give him cash and walk away.

"We need to set someone up for a sting".

"I agree, Chris".

She radioed for some detectives to come and set it up. With any luck, he would be taken down by tomorrow afternoon.

She and Mary Beth watched for a while, and then they went back to the office, after grabbing a quick lunch. They made it back to the office around 2.

Chris worked till 4, and then went home. She was going to stop at the grocery store on the way home, and get groceries for the week. She was excited for Lisa and Bridgit to come over.

"See you tomorrow, partner".

"See you tomorrow, partner. Glad you are back".

***Chris and David's apartment***

Bridgit and Lisa got there at 6:15, just after Chris had gotten home. They brought dinner, Chicken Scallopine. It was one of Chris' favorites.

They started the show right on time, and explained some of it to Chris. She was intrigued by it, but couldn't relate because the girls were so dramatic towards each other. However, by the end of the night, she was hooked and saddened to find out that it only came on one night a week.

"Next Monday night?" Lisa looked at Chris and Bridgit.

"Oh definitely!".

"Yes girls, we are making this a regular thing".

They all hugged good night, and Bridgit and Lisa headed home. Chris was heading for the bath.

She made it to the bedroom, when she heard something. She turned around to see what it was, and saw the most glorious sight. David was coming through the door.

"Honey, I am home".

"Babe…" She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.

He kissed her very passionately for several minutes.

"I missed you".

"I missed you, babe". He locked the door behind him, and set the alarm.

They headed to the bedroom. She quickly changed into the nightgown that he loved, and he changed into his regular pajama shorts.

He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and carried her to the bed.

They made mad, passionate love like newlyweds, and when they were done, they did it again. And again.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, and didn't move until the alarm went off in the morning.

***The next morning***

Chris woke up when the alarm went off. Normally, she would get right up, and get out of bed. But this morning, she was so happy to have David back, that she hit snooze and stayed in his arms. He woke up a few minutes later, and kissed her forehead.

"How is it that you got to come home?" Chris and David hadn't done much talking the night before.

"The other family members confronted the father-in-law, and he came to court and confessed. Pled guilty on the spot, and the charges were dropped against my client. He is being charged with forgery and filing a false report. My client was released and I hopped the first plane home to you".

"I am so glad you did". She kissed him.

"Babe, we don't need the vitamins you have been taking. You were great last night, we were amazing, just like we always have been".

"I agree. I think I might keep the multivitamin, but scale back on the fish oil and the tea."

"Good job". He nibbled at her neck for a minute.

"I wish we didn't have to work today. As soon as we get home…" her voice trailed off as she kissed him.

"You got it babe".

She kissed her perfect husband and was so very thankful for their perfect life, all components included. Chris was definitely a kept woman. She was more than thankful to close the opened doors and remain satisfied with what she had.


End file.
